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Help – Should I use Createspace or KDP for my paperback? #indieauthors #writers

In the next day or so I will be setting up the paperback version of my new book, The Sentinel’s Reign. It will be the third book I’ve published since 2015.

The first two paperback went through Createspace, which I have found easy and straightforward but being in the UK I would prefer to be able to get a local proof copy and not wait on shipping time and have to pay so much for postage etc. It will also be cheaper to buy my own stock without having to add on overseas postage.

I’ve heard good and bad about the KDP print books and I’m reluctant to take the plunge now. Is it worth it? Should I go for it and switch the other two books over too?

I’m reaching out to those indie authors who have made the switch to ask what you think. Was it easy? Would you recommend it?

Or perhaps, like me, you’re unsure or you’ve decided to stick with Createspace. I would love to know what other indie authors are doing about their print books and if you have any advice to share. I’m sure many people are having the same doubts and we can help each other.

21 thoughts on “Help – Should I use Createspace or KDP for my paperback? #indieauthors #writers”

I’m using KDP — I’m still waiting for my proof copies being in South Africa and all, so I’m not sure about the difference in quality. A lot of other indie SA authors prefer KDP — which is why I decided to go with them. The set-up is straight forward and there are a lot of help pages if you get stuck. They also email you with instructions if the book isn’t “publish ready” and how to fix it. I think it should be rather easy to switch from Createspace to KDP: there’s an option to switch from Createspace to KDP when setting up your paperback (which had a lot of rumours running around earlier this year saying that Createspace is going to shut down). I hope this helps 🙂

Thank you. I have been concerned createspace would shut down but didn’t want to panic and rush into switching. Now the new book is ready it feels like a good time to try KDP out. Glad to hear you know people who prefer it.
Good luck with your book!

There i another option Suzanne, LULU. They also have a base in the UK so your printing can be done here.It’s a long time since I used them and I’m told they’re a little more expensive but that’s offset by the postage savings. I remember using them in the first place when Createspace paid royalties by cheque in $ and you had to pay for the bank to convert them. LULU paid via Paypal which was really handy. It might be worth a look for you.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx

I’ve just tried out both Lulu [Australia] and KDP with the same book. The Lulu proof arrived within about 4-5 days, the KDP version won’t arrive until June 8. The KDP version was about $2 cheaper to print but then it was about $2 more expensive to post. Net result, the Lulu and KDP proofs are almost exactly the same price. With multiple copies, Lulu may turn out to be cheaper, but one-for-one there doesn’t seem to be much difference. Will be interesting to compare the quality of the prints once the KDP version arrives.

Kind of…the turnaround time for the Lulu process may be very handy for certain things – e.g. if I want to leave copies of my books as ‘samples’ in local bookshops. Meanwhile KDP has the Amazon convenience.
-shrug-
Very much six of one and half a dozen of the other at the moment.

I consistently use CreateSpace for paperbacks and KDP for ebooks, even though both services say they can do both (or, at least, interface with the other). I’d be a little more comfortable having a program convert a paperback layout to an ebook than the other way around. I’m just too picky to risk mistakes and oddities, I suppose. If you attempt to get a paperback from KDP, please let us know how it turns out!

If it’s true about createspace shutting down, I don’t think we’re going to have much choice soon. I liked Lulu because they printed your book really fast and the royalties are better, but the books looked more like textbooks than novels, which I think would be a problem for bookstores. But maybe it’s worth looking into again if most people aren’t happy with KDP paperback?

I used to use Createspace but now use KDP, and have switched all my books over to that. I’ve had no problems using them and it was very easy to switch my books over. I also use Ingram Spark for my bulk copies and recently produced a hardback book with them for a client which looks superb.